SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA REGIONAL BASKETBAL PLAYOFFS : DIVISION III GIRLS : Rancho Alamitos Comes Up Short, Falls to Lemoore, 76-53

It took a while, but Lemoore High School finally showed the Rancho Alamitos girls’ basketball team that size does matter.

Rancho Alamitos, which had only two players taller than 5-feet-4, had overcome its shortcomings most of the season. The Vaqueros finished second in the Garden Grove League and were runners-up in the Southern Section 3-A playoffs.

But Tuesday, Lemoore overpowered Rancho Alamitos for a 76-53 victory in the first round of the Southern California Division III regional playoffs at Lemoore.

“Very few teams have been able to take us inside like that,” Vaquero Coach Bob Becker said. “Once that happens, there’s little we can do.”

Through most of the season, Rancho Alamitos (21-5) has been able to make up for its lack of height by playing pressure defense. The Vaqueros use nine players and a full-court press the entire game.

However, the Tigers (21-7) were not affected by the press. Guards Dana Bezerra and Jenifer Cotta consistently broke the press, which resulted in some easy baskets.

“We heard they were a pressing team, so we worked on being patient in practice yesterday,” Tiger Coach Karen Wood said. “We haven’t had to deal with that type of defense most of the season. But I felt if we didn’t rush things, we would be all right.”

Although the Tigers are also a small team, they did have an advantage inside. Forwards Rachel Rossiter and Amy Haire, both of whom are 5-9, were able to work inside against the Vaqueros’ 2-3 zone.

Rossiter, who finished with 28 points, was also effective on medium-range jump shots. Haire scored 20 points, 12 of which came in the fourth quarter.

Rancho Alamitos had remained within striking range, trailing by no more than 10 points through the third quarter. However, the Tigers went on a 12-5 run midway through the fourth quarter for a 68-51 lead.

The Vaqueros weren’t much better on offense. They made only 17 of 65 shots and were four of 19 on three-point field goals.

Jenny Newsome, who averaged 24 points a game, scored 17 points, but was mostly ineffective on offense because of foul trouble. She had three fouls in the first half and fouled out with 2:10 left to play.

The Tigers led, 34-26, at halftime and the Vaqueros were fortunate to be that close. Trailing 2-0, Lemoore scored 11 consecutive points and led by 11 points through most of the first quarter. Rossiter, the Tigers’ career scoring leader, did most of the damage. She scored six points during the run and had 14 in the first half.